FAIRBANKS, Alaska --- The Western Oregon men's basketball team used a big run in the final minutes to get within a point and had two chances to take the lead, but fell short and lost to Alaska Fairbanks 61-58 on Thursday night at the Patty Center.

The loss drops WOU (11-12) to 7-8 in GNAC play - fifth place in the conference, a half game ahead of Western Washington for the sixth-and-final spot, a game ahead of three teams tied at 6-9 (including two teams WOU plays in the final three games) and is one game back of fourth place.

The Wolves trailed the Nanooks (11-12, 6-9) most of the contest (WOU led for only 34 seconds of the contest) and were down 57-43 with five minutes left in the game before rallying. A Daisone Hughes jumper ignited what turned into a 15-2 run capped by a bucket from Cameron Cranston with 1:15 left to make it 59-58 UAF.

WOU got the ball back with 34 seconds left, but a pair of shots in the paint didn't find the mark and the Wolves were forced to foul. UAF drained both free throws to make it a three-point game with 11 seconds left - but WOU's 3-point attempt was off the mark and the game ended.

Cranston led the team with 18 points while John Morrill-Keeler had 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds as the duo accounted for over half of the Wolves' points. WOU finished shooting 41.5 percent from the field, but just 4-for-15 from 3-opint range (26.7 percent) and 10-for-18 from the line (55.6 percent).

WOU looks to get back in the win column Saturday at Alaska Anchorage - one of the teams a game back of the Wolves.